DOHA: Sidra Medical and Research Centre announced the results of a qualitative study on ‘Beliefs, Practices, and Experiences of Qatari Women Related to Childbirth,’ which touched on the participants’ experiences and perceptions of post-partum depression (PPD).
The results, announced in conjunction with yesterday’s Sidra Symposia Series event on the same topic, revealed that participants believed PPD to be caused by solitude due to being confined to home for the 40 days of the post-partum period, as well as the concern that there is lack of education regarding PPD for both families and healthcare providers.
Addressing some of these concerns, the Sidra Symposium on Post-partum Mental Health discussed diagnosis and treatment of PPD, in addition to resources available in Qatar for women suffering from the illness. Moderated by Sidra’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Joachim Dudenhausen, the event featured local and international speakers, including Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis, PhD, Professor in Nursing and Medicine at the University of Toronto and Dr Madhu Pahwa, a Neuro-Psychiatrist who has been working in Doha for the past 13 years.
“One in ten women and almost half of women in industrialised and developing countries respectively suffer from post-partum depression. For such a prevalent and often debilitating disease, it is rarely discussed in many societies, including Qatar’s. The Symposium Series was created in order to educate healthcare providers to improve treatment, and we hope decrease the stigma surrounding less commonly discussed but prevalent issues,” said Dr Dudenhausen.
The Peninsula
